Spotlight: A different kind of banker
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On a regular basis, Sarah Witry gets to do two things she has had a longtime interest in: helping people in need and working with food.
As program director of the Food Bank and Emergency Assistance at the Crisis Center in Iowa City, she provides food and other products for those who have difficulty affording it.
"Food is really tied in with our culture and how we celebrate," Witry said, standing in the Food Bank's preparation area, where the smell of bananas lingered in the air and paper bags of cereal boxes sat on tables above packaged pop cans.
But even though the 26-year-old enjoys her job, it's not an easy task.
Her husband, Matthew Witry, a graduate student in the UI College of Pharmacy, said social workers often put in extra hours on weekends and evenings.
"When duty calls, they answer, and Sarah's job is no exception," he said.
However, Witry, who received a master's from the University of Iowa School of Social Work in 2009, pointed out that her schedule is less hectic when more volunteers are available during the school year.
Witry was once a volunteer for the Crisis Center herself, starting in 2003 as an undergraduate and then interning at the center as a graduate student.
"I really wanted to kind of focus on antipoverty efforts," she said. "This really fit well into what my interests were."
Volunteers make up a majority of the employees at the Food Bank, with 150 volunteers and three paid staff members.
And though the Food Bank receives donations for clients, Witry, who is in charge of ordering food, sometimes has to spend more money than she would like when donations are low.
She said the nonprofit center spent around $100,000 last year on groceries.
"I'm definitely hoping that I can find more economic options this year," she said.
However, she said, food can be purchased from such places as Hy-Vee for 45 cents a pound, and through Hawkeye Area Community Action Program for 4 to 18 cents a pound.
The Food Bank goes through approximately 20,000 pounds of food in a given week — much of it from individual donors or from grocery-store excess. But with around 14,000 clients last year, food is in high demand.
Witry's job doesn't stop at placing orders and assisting volunteers and clients — she also spends time out in the community at meetings regarding regulations on food going through, and recently, updating the Food Bank's computer system.
Despite her hectic schedule, her coworkers said Witry is easy to work with.
"She doesn't get flustered very easily, and this is a stressful environment," said Elizabeth Haas, the emergency-assistance coordinator at the Food Bank.
And Witry's husband said despite the challenge, she sees her job as a rewarding experience.
"She went into social work because she just wanted help people," he said. "She has a lot of satisfaction in what she's able to do for people."
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